Licht: Alex Cappa Will Play Right Tackle
May 2nd, 2018
When the Bucs traded up to draft third-round pick Alex Cappa on Friday, they were getting a superstar Division II tackle who is built a lot like an NFL tackle.
At 6-6, 305 pounds, Cappa doesn’t have a typical guard body. He’s taller and leaner than the most guards.
At his news conference following Friday’s second and third round of the draft, Licht said Cappa would play guard and could eventually play all five positions on the offensive line.
Well, it seems like Cappa’s versatility has been accelerated, or Licht was just offering a little more clarity this morning on WDAE-AM 620.
Asked by host Tom Krasniqi whether Cappa could become a left tackle, Licht said Cappa would start working now at right tackle in addition to guard, and maybe left tackle would be in his future.
Bucs offensive line coach George Warhop has done a stunning job developing rookies since he landed in Tampa in 2014. It’s a long list of characters, from Patrick Omameh to Kevin Pamphile to Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet and more.
It will be very interesting to see where (if?) Cappa shines and how the Bucs use him in preseason.
May 2nd, 2018 at 9:53 am
I figured that would be the case…even though the media tried to convince us he’d stay at guard.
Here’s the thing…there were plenty of guards available…guards who were more likely to be successful at the position in the NFL.
And yet, Licht chose to take a chance on a right tackle moving to guard? Doesn’t make sense. He’s intended to replace Dotson when the right moment comes, and he’ll be cross trained in the meanwhile, just like most of the line.
May 2nd, 2018 at 9:55 am
I really hope the bucs use the money being saved from cutting sweezy to go ouyt and get an NFL ready right tackle to play this year for Dotson, I would hve thought that an RT would have been a higher priority esp to protect the franchise if that is what jameis is
May 2nd, 2018 at 9:56 am
I hope its RT…..don’t want to see benenoch trying to block j. peppers again or any other DE for that matter…..
I thought l.webster played decent at RT…..hopefully they kick him inside…..he had a little nasty streak to him…..good in the run game….I say give him a shot…..we know what e.smith and benenoch can do…..
maybe we should’ve resigned pamphill….oh well….
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!!
May 2nd, 2018 at 9:56 am
I just hope they focus guys at one spot. And not keep moving around. Yes versatility is great but guys become elite when they can hone their skills on one position.
May 2nd, 2018 at 9:56 am
All he has to do is learn….seems to have the physical tools (something that can’t be taught)
POSITIVES
—Relentless finisher who looks to dominate every play.
—Size (6’6″, 305 lbs), strength and length (32 ⅝” arms) all meet the NFL thresholds.
—Solid athlete who can utilize different pass-set techniques with ease.
—Has the change-of-direction skills and balance to mirror pass-rushers in space.
—Has a powerful punch and looks to abuse defensive linemen with it or latch on early in rep.
NEGATIVES
—There’s competition concerns out of Humboldt State versus what he’ll see in the NFL.
—Relies on pure talent, and his technique gets sloppy as a result.
—Has a tendency to fire his hands later than he should and can lose reps early.
May 2nd, 2018 at 9:57 am
The Bucs are desperate for tackle and guard. Were not deep and starters are suspect. Would anyone feel comfortable giving Donovan Smith big money? Demar Dotson cant stay healthy. JR Sweezy is getting paid for nothing. Bucs better look into some trades before the season starts or our season will be over in October and the coaching search will begin.
This is what happens when you burn a 1st round pick on a TE when you already have one. Burn a second rounder on a kicker, and consistently pay the wrong players in free agency. I like this draft but still soo many holes to fill before August.
May 2nd, 2018 at 10:01 am
They may have burned a 2 on a kicker…..the OJ 19 pick was not a “burn”….that was a jackpot !
May 2nd, 2018 at 10:09 am
Oh boy!!!
Run Jameis Run!!! Run for your life!!!
Jameis: hey licht I need a new RT I’m getting killed out there.
Licht: don’t worry jameis I know exactly how to block Julius Peppers, Vic Beasley and Cam Jordan I’ll draft an undersized, division II guy to play tackle. Don’t worry he’s a mauler he beat up on 225lb DEs in division II every game.
May 2nd, 2018 at 10:14 am
RG will be Cappa’s primary spot of focus this year. Bucs would love to see him do exactly what Marpet did – start at RG as a rookie with good players around him and let him progress from there. Whether Cappa is capable of starting right away or not remains to be seen
4/5ths of our OL is set as far as starters go. RG is the only starting spot “open” for competition coming into this year. Cappa, Benenoch and Evan Smith will all be competing to be the starting RG.
Both Cappa and Benenoch will takes reps at RT throughout TC and pre-season to see where they stand in that regard.
May 2nd, 2018 at 10:21 am
Greg right on with that…..so, if Licht, who claims to be an OL/trenches first guy, so instead of drafting Laremy Tunsil a franchise LT, he selcts VH3, total waste then comes back round 2 with the Kicker instead of OL or Vonn Bell….now you got a guy from the D2 level is supposed to prevent jameis from getting clobbered…..there are severl OTs that are out there in FA that can be had an they have NFL starting experience
DB55…that is AWESOME unless you are jameis because it is true
May 2nd, 2018 at 10:24 am
Pickgrin
I agree. I think the Bucs feel ready to roll if they solve their RG issue. It seems really clear at this point that it’s not going to be Sweezy.
I think the Bucs believe RT is set with Dot and Benenoch competing for starting reps. I think Dot has it if he’s healthy but Benenoch looked improved at the end of last year. Those last games and that win over N.O. had to leave him optimistic and motivated during the off season.
Hopefully the new kid can handle RG…or perhaps Benenoch moves inside while the new kids plays RT?
May 2nd, 2018 at 10:26 am
AlteredEgo Says:
May 2nd, 2018 at 10:01 am
They may have burned a 2 on a kicker…..the OJ 19 pick was not a “burn”….that was a jackpot
——————-
Not when you could have Ryan Ramcyzk as your RT instead of going up against him 2x per year.
[You should know better than that. — Joe]
May 2nd, 2018 at 10:34 am
DB55 I don’t understand why you read a Bucs message board if you are so down on them. If you are a fan why spend so much time hating on them? Sure they have holes – massive holes – but why does it bring you so much joy trying to show how down you are on them in every thread?
I don’t know anything about this guy but I’m hoping he’s great – that’s better then hoping he stinks so I can say “look, I told you so”.
May 2nd, 2018 at 10:37 am
Ugh. Stop cross training them. This isnt the decathlon or cross country skiing. Man i wish they’d put him in a position and stick with it. No idea why they think this is a good idea, considering past examples.
May 2nd, 2018 at 10:40 am
Well at least DB55 is sometimes funny with his takes. I gotta agree, I hope this new guy is a world beater in the vein of Marpet but I do believe there is reason to be concerned.
May 2nd, 2018 at 10:46 am
Cherry picking is easy. The Bucs could have had player a argument is always dumb. Nees flash – Every team in the nfl , every draft has players that fail and players drafted after them that succeed. Thats just how it works. Oh and to the guy who brought up Laremy Tunsil, to this point he has shown less then stellar play so lets not try and make him out to be Orlando Pace. He is FAR frim a franchise LT.
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:12 am
People who look back and say look who we could have drafted (for those who say Ryan Ramcyzk, well, virtually everyone including the Saints (who also picked before in that round) passed on him) probably look back at who they could have dated in high school and still have regrets.
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:24 am
Db55 and tmax hang around the bonfire and smoke swag seedy weed all day and bash the bucs over and over again …except Jameis cause he is off limits
I don’t read either post
Bwtfdik?
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:27 am
@DB55
Derrick Brooks hs nothing in common with you!!
Someone as disgusting as you using His name is blasphemy!!
Speaking of blasphemy…
Vernon Hargreaves #28. He doesn’t deserve to wear the uniform of Derrick Broook’s brother; Warrick Dunn.
if you wear #28, you better play with some freaking HEART!!!
We, the faithful fans, will ALWAYS LOVE Warrick Dunn!
Deshaun Watson owes his LIFE to Warrick Dunn!
We the Bucs!!
We want Superheroes. Not punks zeros!!
Shout out to Alstott too. I was 13 in 1996. I grew up with the old Bucs. I expect HEART!!!!
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:31 am
put him in the pit against Vea and see how it goes.
The guys we drafted are colorful, Ill give Licht that. Maybe they can bring a new mindset to the team.
Sorely needed.
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:36 am
Guessing we play Miami and Jax in August. Those will be some good games to watch Cappa and see how he hold up vs big ole nasty lineman.
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:39 am
I am Facebook Friends with Dan Sileo, if anyone remembers him ?
Dan played for the Miami Hurricanes, and still owns the bench press record for that school.
Dan used to work for WDAE
He got fired from WDAE, went to San Diego, and now has his own national radio sports gig.
I will have to ask him what he thinks of Cappa, who is Italian like Dan Sileo.
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:41 am
RT/RG I don’t care I’m just glad we added another body beyond Jensen
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:41 am
Eric……Vita Vae has a huge smile. I think his is bigger then McCoys.
I think the warfare that surrounds McCoy could get out of control. This will be a lot of fun when/if Vita becomes a nicer guy(off the field) then McCoy. I can’t wait!!!
GOO BUCS!!!!
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:45 am
Sileo….need more like him in the media
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:46 am
I know some will think I’m crazy….and I’m happy to have a G/T with this guy but……For some reason I think this guy would make a great DE…..he is simply so nasty…pretty quick…I’d love to see what he could do….probably never happen but just a thought.
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:52 am
Vea (not Vae) may smile but he is ferocious on the field.
Kinda like supreme ass kicker Leroy Selmon.
Should be a fascinating training camp.
May 2nd, 2018 at 11:57 am
With our newly revamped DL… seeing who’s up to the task on OL with be clear during TC.
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:11 pm
Wait a minute. We have fans crying about going against ryan ramczyk twice a year? Did this guy make all pro, pro bowl? Didnt this guy get picked at 32 which means 31 teams passed on him and not just the bucs. Also, the saints almost didnt pick him but rueben foster went one pick earlier. We really have some dumb fans. Arm chair gm smdh
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:13 pm
So I guess this means they will be relying on JR Sweezy to be healthy and stay healthy as the RG? I was afraid of that.
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:15 pm
Cappa is from a Division 3 school with inferior competition but at 6’5” 305 Cappa IS NOT UNDERSIZED and he has NFL length too and good balance and fights to the buzzer. DOT should have three more years in him. He did not become a starter as early as most NFL Tackles. Yes he was hurt for awhile last season but ever since by Union Contract with no double practices and restricted time in pads during training the number of injuries have sky rocketed all over the NFL. DOT was injury free for many years prior to that. By the way the LT Licht got rid of to replace with D. Smith thinking he was past his prime has started all this time for the Raiders and has out played D. Smith. So in three years Cappa should be fully prepared to replace DOT if needed. I expect right now Cappa can outplay D. Smith at pass blocking. How well he can play this year converted to Guard remains to be seen but it should be better than Sweezy. Benenoch is better at Guard than Sweezy and should have replaced him last year when it was clear he lacked the flexibility he had in Seattle because of his back surgery. Benenoch has already shown he can’t pass block at the NFL level at Tackle and it is futile to waste his time trying him there again.
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:15 pm
https://twitter.com/pff_ben/status/956208790319304706?lang=en
Check this out. Cappa vs davenport (1st round DE pick)
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:27 pm
This is the same George Warhop we have had since Lovie was coach? How many good offensive line play years have we had with Coach Warhop? Is our Oline not our accilies heal? Have I missed his fantastic coaching? I think we should have cut him with the Lovie coaching staff.
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:27 pm
Posey….LOL…nice clip…can’t coach desire to prevail…
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:34 pm
The man crushed Davenport. Impressive.
May 2nd, 2018 at 12:40 pm
Radio stations need more liars?
May 2nd, 2018 at 1:04 pm
IMO I like Cappa. I wanted him to be picked, I know im in the minority but liked him and very happy we got him. I woulda loved Nelson , the big Will Hernandez was my next choice, followed by Cappa. Hopefully he sticks and we all grow to love him mainly for his tough demeanor, if he can impress in camp going against our big boys up front maybe he earns the Rg spot and the rest will be history. I was def hoping we woulda traded up early day 2 and grab Hernandez but I am pleased so far with the plan our Gm has in place. Go Bucs!! Camp is gonna be interesting
May 2nd, 2018 at 1:10 pm
My only criticism of Cappa is his hair….he needs to use a good conditioner and hair body building product 😉
May 2nd, 2018 at 1:36 pm
Webster
So you’d rather have Cappa over Ramcyzk?
May 2nd, 2018 at 1:51 pm
IMO this kid was a reach.
He’s a major project at guard or tackle.
May 2nd, 2018 at 1:56 pm
2018 Senior Bowl Practice Analysis || Day 2 OL vs DL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KA8nUyv_R8
Sidnote: Also checkout Day 3 with the same subscriber
This kid has problem anchoring against 220lb speed rushers.
And his hands are terrible.
So….
May 2nd, 2018 at 2:00 pm
yeah, id suspect rg would be the initial spot to smooth the transition
May 2nd, 2018 at 2:19 pm
DB55
Holla at me when get a moment brotha.
What was up with you… one Day 3 of the draft?
May 2nd, 2018 at 2:59 pm
Hoping Cappa can show up big time this year and possibly moved to LT next year. Get a good RT and OG in 2019. Donovan Smith is not worth the big pay check that he will want next year and we got plenty of other good young talent that we do have to pay big.
May 2nd, 2018 at 3:06 pm
Posey99
Damnnn!!! Thanks for the video Posey. Stuffed the sh!t outta Sasquatch.
May 2nd, 2018 at 3:07 pm
Cappa should hang with Joe Dirt during training camp. They look like they go together!
May 2nd, 2018 at 3:39 pm
Ugh… the jump from a D2 offensive man with limited physical skills to an NFL tackle is a HUGE leap. Going to guard is one thing, but tackle, that’s a giant giant leap. I hope the Bucs know what they’re doing here because while everyone might point to Marpet, Marpet had off the chart physical abilities and was going to guard, a position that is much easier to transition to from a lower level of football.
I don’t know about this one, the kid seemed to be drafted really high compared to his talent level and that’s before you even factor in that he played D2 ball against guys that looked like high school kids half the time.
May 2nd, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Alex Cappa vs. Kyle Fitts Utah
https://twitter.com/PFF_Ben/status/956546127058341889
Note: It’s the 5th Gif
May 2nd, 2018 at 4:26 pm
Luv
Lmao idk, M.J. Stewart? Plus I like grabbing my 🥜 s. 🤷🏽♂️
May 2nd, 2018 at 4:34 pm
Luv
Re: the 5th gif
Smh. Run jameis run
May 2nd, 2018 at 5:47 pm
Joe
Sorry man listen to that interview again he said right gaurd first then try right tackle. He thought he could play all 5 but starting with gaurd.
It’s very clear what he said. Cappa will work at guard and right tackle. What Joe wrote here also is very clear. –Joe
May 2nd, 2018 at 5:49 pm
When asked if he could play left tackle by tcraz he said we’ll see.
May 2nd, 2018 at 5:50 pm
Guard
May 2nd, 2018 at 6:09 pm
DB55
That sh!t’ll stunt your growth brotha – lol
Intitially, I was pissed about the pic. Only because IMO better options were on the board. Don’t get me wrong the kid’s a good prospect – but another slot corner?
So then I got to thinking – this dude is a prototypical slot corner Ron Rivera using in his system.
U know the type – generally, physical, and scrappy with adequate speed/shiftiness. Tough in run support, and brings another dimension in sub packages rushing the passer.
Eerily Reminiscent of:
• Ronde Barber (at slot)
• Antoine Winfield (at slot)
• Captain Munnerlyn ← Ron Rivera
• Cortland Finnegan ← Brent Maxie
And guess who’s looking for an understudy – for their veteran slot corner? Carolina! And guess who just so happened to be selecting 2 spots down from us? Carolina!
So maybe got some good intel, and decided to kill to birds with one stone.
May 2nd, 2018 at 6:18 pm
So maybe Licht got some good intel, and decided to kill to birds with one stone.
May 2nd, 2018 at 6:19 pm
two
May 2nd, 2018 at 7:52 pm
I called that
May 3rd, 2018 at 11:29 am
I love this kid. Have you seen him at Senior Bowl? He plays LG and he plays very vell against a top prospect DT. He’s a very good run blocker. I believe he can start at OG this year.
May 3rd, 2018 at 12:52 pm
My guess is that they see Benenoch as the RG and don’t want him to have to take any more reps at RT so he can really focus on being a RG. So, Dotson will be the starting RT and Benenoch the starting RG, with Cappa playing the backup swingman role this year while he learns to play at the next level and puts on muscle. Eventually, if all goes well, Cappa should replace Dotson as the starting RT in a year from now.
May 8th, 2018 at 1:19 am
Just got back in town…missed the draft.
Holy crap, we drafted Lena Dunham?
May 8th, 2018 at 1:28 am
Nice! 🙂